New Opportunities Fund

Gillian Merron:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the future programme of the New Opportunities Fund. [153878]

Kate Hoey:
Proposals for the future programme of the New Opportunities Fund were set out in the consultation paper "New Opportunities from the Lottery". Those proposals received widespread support and a draft Order specifying the new initiatives and requiring the approval of both Houses was laid before Parliament on 1 March.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Departmental Policies (Edinburgh, South)

Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Edinburgh, South constituency, the effects on Edinburgh of the Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [155342]

Mr. Rooker:
The Department's policies and initiatives have made a significant contribution to the Government's overall objectives of:

Eradicating child poverty in 20 years, and halving it within 10;

Promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age while protecting the position of those in greatest need; and,

Combating poverty and promoting security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners.

These goals are being pursued nationwide and our achievements are set out in our annual "Opportunity for all" reports. Our second report, "Opportunity for all--One year on: making a difference" (CM4865, September 2000), sets out what progress has been made in the past year, as well as highlighting what more needs to be done. Nationwide statistical information is necessarily more complete than constituency level data, but the following provides a comparative guide to the effect of the Department's policies and actions in the Edinburgh, South constituency and the City of Edinburgh local authority area since May 1997.

Measures in our five Budgets so far will lift over 1.2 million children nationally out of poverty. These include record increases to Child Benefit, the introduction of the Working Families Tax Credit, increases in the income-related benefits, the minimum wage and tax changes.

Child benefit will be worth £15.50 a week for the eldest child and £10.35 a week for other children from April 2001: nationally about 7 million families receive child

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benefit, and in Edinburgh, South 7,259 families benefit and in City of Edinburgh local authority area 47,558 families benefit.

We now have the lowest unemployment rate in 25 years. The New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, the over-50s and partners of the unemployed to move from benefit into work. In the period since May 1997 the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance nationally has reduced from 1,562,400 to 960,600; in Edinburgh, South the number has reduced from 1,900 to 1,200, and in the City of Edinburgh local authority area from 13,000 to 7,400. Since May 1997 the number of lone parents who claim Income Support has decreased from 1,013,500 to 894,100 nationally; in Edinburgh, South the number has decreased from 1,300 to 1,000 and in the City of Edinburgh local authority area from 7,000 to 6,300.

Older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty, so we have introduced Winter Fuel Payments to help with their heaviest fuel bill. This winter, the payment is £200 for households who qualify. Around 14,000 older people in Edinburgh, South have received a Winter Fuel Payment for this winter. Information on the number of Winter Fuel Payments received is not available by local authority area.

To demonstrate our commitment to combating pensioner poverty, this year we will spend £4.5 billion extra in real terms on pensioners. Some 13,400 pensioners in Edinburgh, South, and 74,900 in the City of Edinburgh local authority area will benefit from the substantial increases in the basic State pension this April and next; this year's increase is £5 a week for single pensioners and £8 for couples. In addition we have introduced free TV licences for the over-75s of whom we estimate there are about 6,300 in Edinburgh, South and 31,100 in the City of Edinburgh local authority area. 2,200 pensioner families in Edinburgh, South and 11,300 in the City of Edinburgh local authority area are receiving the Minimum Income Guarantee, which we introduced in April 1999 to help our poorest pensioners. From April they will be at least £15 a week, or £800 a year, better off in real terms as a result of Government measures since 1997.

Other reforms in the pipeline include: the new Pension Credit in 2003 designed to ensure that pensioners benefit from their savings; the launch of Stakeholder Pensions in

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April this year; and the introduction of the State Second Pension in April 2002 both of which will help provide greater security for tomorrow's pensioners.

Disability Living Allowance

Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will break down the Disability Living Allowance awards for which deafness is the main disabling condition by (a) the rate of each component and (b) the age bands (i) 0 to 15, (ii) 16 to 24, (iii) 25 to 34, (iv) 35 to 44, (v) 45 to 54, (vi) 55 to 64 and (vii) 65 years and over; [155475]

(2) if he will break down the Disability Living Allowance awards for which deafness is the main disabling condition by (a) the age bands (i) 0 to 15, (ii) 16 to 24, (iii) 25 to 34, (iv) 35 to 44, (v) 45 to 54, (vi) 55 to 64 and (vii) 65 years and over and (b) type of award, including (1) care component only, (2) mobility component only and (3) combined care and mobility components. [155476]

Mr. Bayley:
Information is not available in the form requested.

Regulations

Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the availability of the full regulations governing social security; and how many copies he holds which are available for consultation by the public. [155001]

Mr. Rooker:
Regulations on Social Security are contained in Statutory Instruments which are published by The Stationery Office Ltd. and made available through their bookshops and libraries. They are also available on the internet at www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk.

Average Income

Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average income is for a lone-parent family in London (a) on income support and (b) where the parent is in employment. [155005]

Angela Eagle:
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

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Median average net disposable weekly household income by family type for lone parents in Great Britain

£ per week

Median average household income

Before housing costs

After housing costs

Family type

Income Support

Working

Income Support

Working

All Lone Parent Families (equivalised)

164

216

113

173

Equivalent money values for different types of lone parent family

1 child aged 5

135

177

86

132

2 children aged 5, 11

176

231

116

177

2 children aged 11

182

240

121

186

3 children aged 5, 11, 16

235

309

159

243

Notes:

1. All figures are estimates and are taken from the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data set which is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The FRS does not include Northern Ireland, and 1998-99 is the latest year for which data are available.

2. The income measure used in HBAI is weekly net (disposable) equivalised household income (that is to say income that is adjusted to reflect the composition of the household). The equivalised income benchmark used for comparison purposes is the income of a couple with no children. The equivalent actual money values for different types of lone parent family have also been given.

3. The estimates are sample counts, which have been adjusted for non-response using multipurpose grossing factors that control for region, Council Tax band and a number of other demographic variables. Estimates are subject to both sampling error and to variability in non-response. All proportions are rounded to the nearest per cent.

4. The estimates are presented on both a Before Housing Costs (BHC) and an After Housing Costs (AHC) basis in line with HBAI conventions.

Source:

Family Resources Survey 1998-99

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Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what the average income of a family with two children in London was (a) in 1996 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available. [155006]

Mr. Bayley:
The information requested is not available.

Pensions Advertising Campaign

Mrs. Lait:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how much he estimates will have been spent on the current pensions advertising campaign by its conclusion; which media are being used and at what cost; what factors underlay the choice of media used; and if he will publish the brief to the agency responsible for the current pensions campaign; [154059]

(2) what the objective and subjective criteria are for measuring the success of the current pensions advertising campaign; [154065]

(3) pursant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field) of 12 March 2001, Official Report, column 458W, on pensions, if he will set out details of the working study of pension provision uptake; [154147]

(4) what plans he has to monitor the new pension provisions for people who responded to the pension advertising campaign and who received copies of the new pension guide. [154064]

Mr. Rooker:
The costs for developing, running and evaluating the pensions education campaign will be in the region of £6.5 million. We are advertising on TV, in the national press, in selected magazines and in the cinema.

The broadcast media used for this campaign were selected to ensure that the new campaign made an impact and that the target audience was reached in the most effective way.

The brief only formed a starting point for the agency and covered areas other than the current pensions education campaign.

The campaign will be evaluated in a number of ways, including quantitative tracking research. We will also monitor hits to the website, numbers of orders placed and leaflets sent. Over the longer term we will be looking at take-up of different pension provision.

A summary of quantitative tracking research on the pensions education marketing campaign will be placed in the Library in the summer.

We are conducting quantitative tracking research on the campaign as well as longer term monitoring of pension provision.

Mr. Willetts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field), of 12 March 2001, Official

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Report, column 458W, when the results of the tracking study on the current pensions advertising campaign will be available. [155405]

Mr. Rooker:
A summary of quantitative tracking research on the pensions education marketing campaign will be placed in the Library in the summer.